The Shortest Distance
by Midnight Parallax
Summary: When Kris and Junior's fairy tale ending hits a snag, they return home to Raintree to find themselves again.
1. Chapter 1

**The Shortest Distance**

 **Summary:** When Kris and Junior's fairy tale ending hits a snag, they return home to Raintree to find themselves again.

* * *

 _ **Chapter 1**_

"You know, whoever said that you can't go home again probably never had Jean's famous chili," said Junior as he drove through Raintree Farm's front gate. "I swear I feel like I'm ten years old every time she hands me a bowl."

Kris remained silent in the passenger seat.

Junior let out a sigh. "Still not talking to me? Fine. Most husbands dream of this…"

He parked his car in the usual spot by the barn and stepped out. Now he was getting angry. They could always talk to each other, but that was before the last couple of months… How had things gotten so screwed up?

Kris was wondering the same thing as she got out of the car. At least he had agreed to stay at Raintree for this brief trip home. Since getting married, their careers had kept them on the road almost year round. Between Kris's jockey career and Junior's business ventures, they were hardly in the same place for more than a few months. Somehow, four years had vanished behind chasing dreams that were almost never in the same place twice. Yet behind that ranch house door, it was still her home with Jean, Pablo, Matt and Todd inside waiting for her return, whether she'd been away for a day or a year.

"We'll be civil in front of them –" began Kris, but Junior cut her off.

"Civil? Are you kidding? That would set off more alarms than if we were screaming at each other," he told her.

"Okay, what do you suggest then?"

He stood in front of her and crossed his arms. "How about you tell me what's really bothering you and we deal with this like reasonable adults?"

"I think we've already said everything we needed to say," said Kris as she walked around him and to the front door.

"Well, I guess we're going to handle this like when you lived here," sighed Junior.

She rang the doorbell and waited for the Ritters to open the door. Junior stood an arm's length behind her, but the friction between them was still there.

"Kris! Junior!" exclaimed Jean as she let them into the house, hugging each of them enthusiastically.

"Jean, how are you doing?" asked Kris.

"It's been too long since you've been home. Can you believe our Todd is a high school graduate? And he's finally returning to the West Coast," said Jean.

"Harvey Mudd College is an amazing school. I saw some of their research projects last year," Junior told her. "Who knows? Maybe I'll be making Todd offers to work with me when he's done."

Todd emerged out of the living room upon hearing his name. He'd grown to the same height as Matt, Kris could hardly reconcile him to the little boy who came up to her shoulder. He was an adult now.

"You know, you don't have to wait until then for me to work for you," said Todd as he greeted them.

"My man," said Junior, hugging Todd, who had been like a little brother to him. "You've got a secret cold fusion reactor in the barn?"

Todd rolled his eyes and hugged Kris. "My friend and I are developing this robot…"

Kris watched as Junior and Todd went into the living room to talk more. Jean went into the kitchen, and Kris followed her. Everything was just the way that she'd left it. Even the cookie jar didn't have any new cracks in it. She was home.

"Where are Matt and Pablo?" asked Kris, smiling as she leaned against the counter. Over the last year, Pablo had finally moved in with Jean, and Matt had moved into an apartment closer to town.

"Pablo is running some errands for Todd's graduation party tomorrow, and Matt's taken out one of the horses for some exercise… Light in the Meadow," Jean told her. "Coffee?"

Kris's heart warmed to hear that Flame's daughter had earned Matt's seal of approval. "Yes, I'd love some."

"So tell me, how was Kentucky? It must have been hard to just sit there and watch the race this year," said Jean as she handed Kris a mug coffee, black with no sugar.

Kris nodded as she accepted the cup. "Yeah, it was pretty strange being up in the stands instead of on the track this year. Ken Davis finally had his famous daughter in law seated properly for once."

Jean laughed. "Next time, you'll be out there with the best of them. Just try not to get thrown from your horse and break your arm a week before the race next time."

"I really thought Montana Sky and I understood each other. She was temperamental, but I could see us going the distance," replied Kris soberly. "That's what I get for riding at Davis instead of Raintree."

Her arm stung in agreement. She had agreed to ride for Davis that year after meeting their star filly, and she had recalled her days riding Wildfire. Montana had a spark about her that Kris saw as the light to the second chance at the Kentucky Derby. Three years ago, she had managed to get to the Kentucky Derby with Flame, finishing in the middle of the pack and putting Raintree back on the map. The following year, Junior's business had taken them to Alaska and Canada, where she continued racing while up north. The year after that they were in Australia. This year, they had returned home and Kris had decided to restart her American career with Montana Sky. It was a great match until the week before the Kentucky Derby.

During training exercises, Montana had felt Kris's frustration and responded by promptly throwing her off. It was a crushing blow to her career. In the end, Montana finished fifth and Kris could only watch as her greatest chance at a second Derby win slipped through her fingers. She stayed for two weeks after the race with Junior and his father for the business parties and horse sales that were going on. She was a jockey, not a show pony presenter. It was awful.

"Kris, these things happen. You know that," said Jean. "Some years are just better than others. Raintree hasn't exactly had its best hoof forward since Flame's big win."

"That's my fault!" Kris blurted out. "I should've been the one riding for Raintree –"

Jean grabbed Kris by both shoulders. "Listen to me. I saw how far you got with Montana, and I'd bet this farm that if you were riding her, she would've been the one to take home that trophy. But accidents happen. Life isn't going to always work out the way you want it to, and you should be grateful to have your health and your family at the end of the day."

Kris hugged her and nodded. "You're right. But I think I need some space before getting back in the ring."

"Of course you do! Which is exactly what you'll get while here," said Jean.

"Jean, I'm not here to be a burden. I'm here to work with Matt and help him get his new horses ready. Junior and I are out of your hair after the week is up."

Jean shook her head. "I know. But it's so nice to have everyone home again. It's been so quiet with Matt gone and Todd will only be home on the weekends if I'm lucky… I just want us to be a family like we were."

Kris couldn't find the words to say that was all that she wanted too.

* * *

 **A/N:** I wrote this while listening to "Distance" by Christina Perri.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Shortest Distance**

 **Summary:** When Kris and Junior's fairy tale ending hits a snag, they return home to Raintree to find themselves again.

* * *

 _ **Chapter 2**_

"Kris! Junior! Stop hiding inside the house!" called Matt's voice from the foyer. He had spotted Junior's new Prius in the yard when he came back from his ride with Light in the Meadow.

Matt was sure that his newest prospect was going to take the California racing circuit by storm next fall. With Kris riding, he dared to consider the possibility of a Triple Crown win. How had he possibly gone almost half a year without seeing his friends off the track? He was thrilled that Kris and Junior were going to spend their week in Fremont at Raintree instead of Davis or at a hotel. Since they had moved around so much, they hadn't taken the time to look for a permanent place in town, though most of their belongings were collecting dust on the Davis property. Matt could hardly believe it when they accepted Jean's offer to stay at Raintree. It was going to be an interesting weekend.

"Just in time to save me from Todd's massacring me in Titan Fall," said Junior as he emerged from the living room. He smiled and hugged Matt. "This week is going to be amazing. We'll take Todd and his friends out camping, then we'll grab drinks at Bobby's and haze Dani's latest dream guy – Edgar?"

"Ethan," Matt corrected him. "Ethan Cooper, a promising young dentist who just came to town to fill in for Dr. Michaels."

"Wait, what happened to Dr. Michaels?" asked Junior. "He's been my dentist since like… forever."

Matt laughed. "He retired a couple of months ago. Ethan's been a… decent replacement."

Junior shook his head. "It's not a trip to the dentist without the shadow puppets."

"Well, at least he doesn't seem dumber than a shadow puppet…" said Matt, then he and Junior burst out laughing.

"Like her pretty boy NASCAR driver last year," said Junior. "I'll have to admit that he was a nonstop party. Do you still have his number?"

"Nope. I'd rather not risk your sister's wrath," laughed Matt. "Dani's just trying to figure out what she wants. Not everyone knows who they'll end up with at seventeen."

"No one knows anything at seventeen," said Kris, who had entered through the front door behind Matt. She smiled when she saw him.

"Hey you," Matt turned around and hugged her. "Visiting Wildfire?"

"Of course," Kris answered. "I can't believe how much I missed him. I'll have to make it up to him this week."

"Now all we need is for Dani to get here for dinner. Then band will be back together and ready to rock n' roll again," said Matt.

"Matt, it is way too early for dad jokes," said Junior, putting his arm around his friend.

"I just want it to be like old times. How often do we get a chance like this?" Matt asked, looking at his friends.

Kris and Junior exchanged unreadable looks. No one could really turn back time. And if they could, would they want to? There had been good times, but there had also been bad times. Both had made them who they were today, for better or worse.

* * *

"All right, spill it. I always know when something's bothering you, big brother," said Dani after she had dragged him off to test ride her latest horse purchase.

"Color me shocked to hear you say that," Junior replied sarcastically as they trotted on their horses. "Then I guess you should know that I saw through your little ruse to get me out here."

When Dani had arrived at the ranch that afternoon, she immediately could tell something was amiss with Kris and Junior, and it was something big. Her brother would surrender his secrets more easily, since he wore his heart on his sleeve too much for her taste. Dani was also excited to show off her new horse, Rumor of War, which was stabled at Raintree Farm. They had ridden together since they were kids. This trail ride would kill two birds with one stone.

Dani rolled her eyes. "What's wrong with you and Kris? The married life not quite what you expected? Not all rom-com fights and kissing to make up at the end?"

"Did you come out here to find out what's wrong with my marriage or tell me what's wrong with it?" Junior demanded.

"A little bit of Column A and a little bit of Column B. It's ridiculous that every time I see you in town you're either at dad's place or Raintree," said Dani. "The two of you still haven't gotten your own place yet and it's been four years. We retire horses by then."

"We rented a place the first year. Since then, we haven't had time between my job and her job," Junior told her. "There's no point paying rent when we're barely in a place more than a couple of months at a time.'

"You ever ask yourself why that is?" Dani replied.

"The first year and a half, I stayed in California for her to make it to the Kentucky Derby twice. Calvin and I even got another project off the ground. The next year, we went to Alaska for my geothermal project. After that, she got an amazing offer in Australia and I followed her there. We were here this year, but Dad was in New York the whole time. It seemed like a waste to leave the house empty, especially since Kris was training for Davis," explained Junior.

"So you both married your jobs, not each other?"

Junior slowed his colt's pace as he absorbed Dani's comment. "These days, it feels like it… We're only going to be together here for a week before I go to a tech conference in Las Vegas and she goes to Arkansas with Matt to check out horses."

Dani shook her head and slowed her horse to stay beside her brother. "What happened to the two of you?"

"I suppose we got married before we were ready. We thought we could still chase our dreams without losing each other… Now there's so much distance between us."

"You think the two of you are going to split up?" Dani asked point blank.

"Just because we hit a rough patch doesn't mean we should quit," Junior snapped. Then he quickly regretted his tone. He let out a sigh. "I'm sorry. You struck a nerve. This investor's daughter was a bit too friendly with me recently… She kissed me at a party in front of Kris hoping to cause trouble… I set her straight the moment it happened, but Kris shut me out."

Dani winced. "Maybe all everything's just gotten to her. Moving around so much, the accident, now her husband is kissing other women? Have you tried taking some time to yourselves?"

Junior bit his lip in frustration, and then turned to look at his sister. "I think we're both afraid of what might come out of that… I think the accident was partially my fault… We were arguing over the kiss right before the horse threw her… She claims it had nothing to do with our fight, but I can't believe her."

"Oh Junior," Dani sighed.

"Do you mind talking to her? See what's going on in that head of hers besides horses?"

Dani grinned. "The only thing on her mind besides horses is you. She's not the most complicated person in the world."

Junior gave her a serious look. "Dani, I'm out of options here. We can't go on like this."

She looked away from him and at the woods ahead. The gravity of the situation hit her. Then she nodded. "Okay, I'll do this for you on one condition."

"Name it."

"You and Matt lay off Ethan. No seeing how he handles riding Flame, no sending him off on trick errands, no posting his info on a cougars dating site, none of it," Dani told him. "I'm done with you idiots scaring off any half decent guy I bring around."

Junior sighed. "Fine. I've got bigger fish to fry than chasing off guys that even the basset hound can't stand."

Dani glared at him. "Elliot's a beagle, not a basset hound."

"Could've fooled me," mumbled Junior. "So you'll talk to Kris?"

"Of course, I will," Dani said, turning her horse to lead them back to Raintree Farm. "Now let's get back to the ranch so I can save your ass. Again…"

* * *

 **A/N:** Spotify chose to play One Direction's "Spaces" repeatedly while I was writing this chapter. I can take a hint.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Shortest Distance**

 **Summary:** When Kris and Junior's fairy tale ending hits a snag, they return home to Raintree to find themselves again.

* * *

 _ **Chapter 3**_

"Let me guess, you felt a disturbance in the force and dragged your brother away to wring it out of him?" Kris asked Dani, as she leaned against the kitchen counter with her arms crossed.

She and her brother had returned from their ride a few hours ago. The two women were standing alone in the kitchen while the party was in full swing outside. Dani hadn't planned to talk to Kris so soon, but when she saw Kris escape into the kitchen, she decided to take advantage of the moment. To Dani's utter lack of surprise, Kris didn't hesitate to call her out.

"Sometimes I think we know each other too well," said Dani. She walked over to the kitchen table and poured pinot noir into two plastic wine glasses. She handed one to Kris and sipped the other.

Kris accepted it but didn't shift her focus from Dani. "Yeah, we're in agreement about that. Look, Junior and I don't need anyone to play therapist for us. We just need some space. I get that you mean well-"

"No, I mean to get to the bottom of this," Dani told her plainly. "Junior told me everything."

"Shocking," muttered Kris.

"He thinks some smug little debutante hitting on him has you riled up, but something about this whole thing doesn't add up to me," Dani went on. "There's no way that kid could be scarier than me at that age."

Kris laughed. "Well, I have to admit, I did want to punch her just as badly though."

"You're dodging the question. What's up with you?" Dani asked. "You aren't acting like yourself lately."

"What's that even supposed to mean?"

"Is this about that horse? Kris, there will be other races-"

"No, Dani, it's not about Montana," Kris said with frustration, staring into her wine.

As Dani took another sip of wine, she could see why Junior had been so honest with her. Kris liked to consider herself an open book, but at the moment she had shut herself in and everyone else out.

Before the conversation could go further, Junior, Matt, Todd and Ethan had entered the kitchen. They were animatedly discussing how the current baseball season and seeing a San Francisco Giants game soon. When they saw Dani and Kris, they switched their attention to them. The two women went from serious expressions to smiling.

"Party's outside. No VIP only sections," Matt smiled and teased them. "Well, not without me anyway."

"Who died and made you guest of honor?" demanded Todd playfully.

Kris watched as Dani's new boyfriend put his arm around her. Ethan Cooper was an average looking guy, not outstandingly handsome or anything particular except that he smiled a lot when in Dani's presence. Junior didn't move closer to Kris. Instead, their glances met then broke apart as the others were speaking. They went back outside to the party, but Kris decided to check on Wildfire one more time before rejoining the group.

"Hey buddy," Kris said as she rubbed the horse's face. "I know, I've been home two days now, and we still haven't gone for that ride I promised you all those months ago. You're going to have to wait a little longer…"

He flicked his head in acceptance. There was no one in the world who understood her better. She hadn't wanted to leave him all those times, but they had come to an understanding that life didn't always lead straight home. She had needed those experiences.

"I'm sorry, but this time it'll be different. At least I'm going to be here with you and we can go out for walks until our new rider gets here," said Kris. She smiled and gave him an apple. "I wish we could just go out for a ride right now, but we can't…"

"Because you're pregnant," came Dani's voice from behind her. "That's it! That's why you've been so weird."

Kris turned around to face her sister in law. Dani had brought Kris's glass of wine from inside to her when she stumbled upon her friend and her horse having an intimate chat. Suddenly, it came together.

"Dani…" Kris began, but wasn't sure how to proceed as her friend approached her.

Dani put down both wine glasses on a haystack instead of giving one to Kris. "Well, is it true? Am I going to be an aunt?"

Kris paused. "Listen, you can't tell Junior. I haven't even told him yet."

Dani laughed and hugged Kris tightly. "I'm so happy for you. This is amazing news – act like it!"

Kris couldn't help smiling at her friend's excitement. She hadn't told anyone since she found out except Wildfire. "I can hardly wrap my head around it… It changes everything."

"I know my brother is a bonehead, but I think he'd notice this eventually," said Dani. She became serious. "Kris, what's going on? You and Junior should be celebrating and shouting it from the rooftops. Heck, I even think my dad would be shouting it from our rooftop."

"Dani, I hardly think we're the first people to reproduce," said Kris.

"Why are you acting this way? Don't you want to have kids? And even if you didn't, it's a little too late to reconsider," Dani pointed out.

"It's complicated!" snapped Kris.

"What's complicated?" asked Junior as he walked into the barn. He looked at his wife. "Kris?"

"How much of that did you hear?" asked Kris as he stopped squarely in front of her.

"What are you so afraid of?" Junior replied.

"Nothing. Least of all you," Kris told him.

Junior sighed. "I came looking for you because you've been avoiding everyone at the party. Come on."

"Parties aren't my thing, but I promised to be in a good mood for Todd," she said more to herself than her friends.

Then Kris walked out of the barn and back to the party. Junior shook his head and followed her out, leaving Dani alone with the horses.

"Hey Wildfire," said Dani as she rubbed his face with one hand and drank wine with the other. "You know your owner is a crazy person? You would think the years would wear her down, but she's possibly more stubborn than you are…"

The horse neighed in agreement.

* * *

"Please don't tell me that you're going to stand here all night," Junior said to Todd as they stood by the dessert table. "Matt, you have failed as a brother."

The Ritter brothers rolled their eyes at their neighbor. Todd had watched as the other people at the party danced together, but he was too shy to join them. He hadn't learned how to dance at boarding school, and it was too much pressure to learn how during his own party. Especially with Emily Coleman, the girl he had a crush back in eighth grade.

"Leave Matt out of this. I'm having a great time," Todd told him. He saw Emily steal a glance at him, but then turn back to her friends.

"You're guarding the cheesecake instead of dancing with that cute little blonde you keep exchanging glances with," said Junior. "You're not having a great time."

Matt nodded. "Why didn't you tell me you couldn't dance? It's not hard."

"You guys spent your entire high school years here partying every weekend. There's just rowing and drinking in Boston," said Todd.

"And that is why you have returned to California," said Junior, who was looking at Kris laughing and talking with some of Raintree's employees. Then he turned to Todd. "Follow my lead."

He walked up to Kris and playfully nudged her toward the dance floor. "They're playing our song."

Kris gave him a puzzled look. "We don't have a song. Plus, I've never heard this song before."

"It could be our song, if you gave it a chance," said Junior sincerely.

Kris grinned despite herself. "You are really out of practice with picking up women."

Junior leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Don't tell Todd that. I'm trying to get him to dance with the girl in the green dress."

"Well, why didn't you say so?" Kris said and she pulled him onto the dance floor.

Todd and Matt watched in disbelief that Kris's mood had changed. Junior gestured for Matt and Todd to join them.

"Time to make your move," Matt said, then pushing his brother in the direction of Emily.

This was his party. She had come to his party. Todd took a deep breath and tapped her on the shoulder. "Want to dance?"

She smiled. "Sure. I love this song."

Kris watched as the young couple started dancing, then she put her arms on Junior's shoulders as they danced. "That was a nice thing."

"Why do you sound surprised?" Junior asked, pulling her closer. He noticed that other people at the party had started dancing too, but the only one he cared about the Kris.

"I'm not," Kris said, and the song ended. A wave of guilt hit her. She pulled away from him and walked into the house while the others kept dancing.

* * *

 **A/N:** What was the mystery song that Kris and Junior danced to? "The World We Knew" by Daughtry.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Shortest Distance**

 **Summary:** When Kris and Junior's fairy tale ending hits a snag, they return home to Raintree to find themselves again.

* * *

 _ **Chapter 4**_

Dani couldn't believe her eyes. One minute Kris and Junior were dancing like love-struck teenagers, and the next Kris was running off to escape him. Dani sighed and followed after Kris. Her brother didn't deserve that. Kris had to stop torturing both of them.

"What was that?" Dani demanded when she entered the house and found Kris sitting alone in the living room. She sat down next to her.

Kris ran her hands through her hair in frustration. "I don't know. I don't even know where to begin."

"Okay, what's going on?" Matt asked when he walked into the house. Jean, Pablo and Junior were trailing behind him. "I'm officially done with pretending that Kris and Junior haven't been acting strange since they got here."

"Don't worry about it," said Kris. "We just had a fight. That's it."

"You're talking to me here. I've seen you two fight more than anyone except maybe Dani," said Matt. "We're all here for you."

Suddenly, all eyes were on Kris and she felt cornered. She didn't say anything.

"Well, it's comforting to know that I'm not the only one you're shutting out," Junior muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kris shot back, rising to her feet.

Junior moved to closer to where she stood. "Kris, we can't keep going in circles like this. We're going into the kitchen alone to sort this out. Now."

"Are you going to make me?" asked Kris standoffishly.

"Kris, Junior…" Jean tried to intervene, but it was too late.

"At this point? Yes." Junior grabbed her arm, but Dani moved between them. The others watched on.

"Junior, stop it," said Dani. "She's –"

"Dani, no," Kris interrupted.

"Tell him," Dani told her pleadingly.

"I can't –" Kris started to say, but Dani wasn't going to let this game continue.

"Kris is pregnant," Dani blurted out. It was the only way to put an end to this insanity. If Kris was going to keep digging herself further into trouble, Dani had to stop it. Her brother deserved the truth too. Kris had left her no choice.

At that moment, they could hear a pin drop in the room. No one moved again until Junior sighed.

"I know," he said heavily.

Kris stared at him. "What?"

"I'm not as much of a bonehead as you, Dani and Matt still think I am," said Junior. "We're not kids anymore."

"Everyone, let's leave these two alone," said Pablo, gently ushering Dani away from the couple.

Jean steered Matt and Dani back outside. Before Pablo left them alone, he caught Kris's gaze and he remembered the girl he once knew. Some habits died hard, and some never stayed buried for too long.

Junior and Kris didn't move from where they stood, less than a foot apart but never further apart from each other than they were at this very moment. She wrapped her arms around herself and looked at him, unsure how this was going to proceed.

"You still have nothing to say?" asked Junior. "Unbelievable."

"I'm still processing it," she replied. She could've kicked herself for that lame response, but her legs had a mind of their own.

He shook his head. "Are you serious?"

"How did you find out?" Kris asked.

Junior stared at her unflinchingly. "To be honest, there were a few obvious signs. Then your doctor's office called and left a message on my phone by accident last week."

Kris nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you right away. Everything's been so screwed up lately… I just kept thinking that somehow things would magically fix themselves and I'd know how and when to tell you… Except here we are…"

Junior rubbed his face with his hands in frustration. This was too much. It was supposed to be one of the greatest moments of his life, and instead he wasn't sure what he felt now. He knew that they were having a rough time, but he didn't imagine that their relationship had gotten to this point. He hadn't escaped the Davis curse after all. Were they too far gone?

"Say something!" Kris commanded when Junior didn't say anything for a minute.

He sighed. "I need some space."

Then he walked out of the house, leaving Kris standing alone. She wanted to chase after him, but she knew that he needed to a chance to absorb everything. As she stood there, she realized that she finally had the space she kept asking for. It wasn't what she needed after all.

* * *

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Jean as she sipped her morning coffee.

Kris was seated across from her, staring at her food more than eating it.

They were the only ones in the kitchen that morning. The party had gone on as if nothing happened, and no one brought up her argument with Junior for the rest of the evening. He had kept his distance from her, then he went home to Davis Farm after an hour. Kris wasn't sure what she was supposed to do now.

"Where do I even begin? Where does any of this actually begin?" Kris asked, looking at Jean.

Jean put down her coffee mug. "Sometimes, it's not the best idea to start from the beginning. Why not deal with what's happening now, then trace it back?"

Kris studied Jean for a moment, then she nodded. "Last night was not how Junior was supposed to find out. We didn't plan on having kids yet, but someday, you know? I knew something was off, but I didn't know until after the accident. The doctors picked it up in the blood tests. We were really lucky that everything was okay considering my fall."

"Tough kid," said Jean.

"Like his parents… I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to for a while. I'm a jockey," Kris admitted. "Well, I used to be..."

Jean nodded. "You knew this life wasn't forever. Most jockeys retire at your age. Didn't you ever imagine your life off the track?"

Kris sat up straight. "Wait, aren't you curious how I feel about being someone's mother?" Then the realization hit her. Jean was letting her steer the conversation. "I'm good at being a jockey. That's who I am. It's all I am. I don't have an artistic bone in my body, or a head for business. I'm no good at being someone's wife, their daughter, their sister… How can I be a good mother?"

"Who on earth told you that?" asked Jean.

"Jace," Kris said and let out a sigh. "He contacted me about three months ago… He patched things up with our father and he called to invite me to attend this wedding of a half-sister I've never heard of. We barely speak and I didn't want to get pulled into his fake happy family scheme. Then it turned into this huge argument – we both said some things we both probably regret now."

Kris hadn't told Junior about the phone call. She had been so furious at Jace, and she knew Junior would encourage her to make things right with her family. Junior didn't understand that they weren't the type of people who had family dinners and slideshows from their trip to Ireland. She couldn't get caught up in their schemes. Still, she missed how things used to be between her and Jace. Now Jace had a new sister, one who wanted to know their father and be the sister he couldn't get Kris to be.

"He was so hurt that he wasn't the one to walk me down the aisle at my wedding. He didn't even get to see it because he was on the East Coast. Our relationship was never perfect, but he took all of this so badly – like I did it on purpose. I should've tried to fix it then, but I can't take it back."

Jean put her arm around Kris. "Let me guess, the whole world seemed like it was caving in on you from all sides."

Kris leaned her head on Jean's shoulder. "It was one stupid argument. I knew if I told Junior, he'd insist we go to Oakland the next day to make it right. He would tell me that I should go to the wedding. As messed up as the Davis clan is, they always stuck together. My family isn't like that."

She had kept all of it bottled up inside for so long, she was surprised that she even had the words to explain it all. There was still more.

"Then that annoying brat wouldn't stop following Junior around like a lovesick puppy. All I could think was how I felt like a teenager again, trying to prove my place in his life," Kris continued. "It sounds silly now, but I just let it get to me. And Montana felt it. That's why she threw me."

"It's okay," Jean said soothingly.

"I've really made a mess of things," Kris said, shaking her head. "It felt like I'd lost control, and I just wanted some space to figure it out. I wanted us to be in a good place when I told Junior about the baby. Now look at us."

"You know, I think what's hurt him the most is that you didn't just tell him what was going on," Jean told her. "You should've been straight with him from the beginning. Instead, you ended up going in circles trying to avoid the truth."

"How do I fix this?"

"By going back to the problem that started it all," Jean answered. "You actually want to go to that wedding, don't you? You need closure. Even if your family is exactly what you think they are, you need to see it for yourself."

Kris sat up right and studied Jean as she considered what was said. There had been a part of her that was curious about them, especially when she was going to start a new family of her own.

"Kris, you need to understand what you're really upset about. After that, you'll deal with Junior and be able to give him an honest answer about what's going on," Jean said.

"You're right," Kris admitted. She had been hiding from the truth for so long. She was scared that it would change everything that she knew about her family and about herself. "How'd you get to be so wise?"

"By screwing up a lot," Jean said plainly. "No one is born knowing all the answers in life. We learn as we go. People are always growing and changing. Remember that change is the only constant in life."

"I guess I was afraid of all of the changes that have been going on… Part of why I came back here was so I could find myself again in a familiar place… except I see now that a lot of things have changed, but so have I…" Kris said. "I think I know what I have to do now."

* * *

 **A/N:** Listening to "Let It All Go" by Birdy + Rhodes. There's only one chapter left. Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing!


	5. Chapter 5

**The Shortest Distance**

 **Summary:** When Kris and Junior's fairy tale ending hits a snag, they return home to Raintree to find themselves again.

* * *

 _ **Chapter 5**_

"It's been two days," Ken Davis said. He stood in what was supposed to be his home office, but it had been taken over by his son. "Get out of here and go talk to your wife."

Junior looked up from the balance sheets in front of him and at his father. Ken was dressed for his two o'clock tee time, so Junior couldn't understand the rush to get rid of him. "Isn't this what you always wanted? For me to get away from Kris and to focus on the family finances?"

Ken snatched the papers away from his son. "You listen to me – those numbers mean nothing if you don't have a family to finance."

Junior gave his father a disingenuous look. "I wasn't the one who made that decision."

"What decision? You ran off in the middle of the night after one fight," Ken snapped. "Now stop acting like a child and fix your marriage. You'll have a kid and you can't hide from that. Also, I'm not handing over half of the estate to that girl."

Junior sighed. "There's the Dad I know and love."

"I'd have your sister come here and set you straight, but she's been avoiding my calls lately," his father told him.

"Did you insult her taste in shoes or men this time?"

"Don't get cute with me," Ken warned.

The maid knocked on the door and entered the room, interrupting their discussion. "Mr. Davis, you have someone waiting for you outside."

"Which of us are you referring to, Claudia?" asked Ken.

"The younger Mr. Davis. Your wife is acting oddly. She asked that I get you," said the older woman. She seemed more exasperated than concerned.

Junior rolled his eyes. "That's the understatement of the year."

He rose from the desk and left the office. His father said nothing, and simply watched and shook his head at Junior as he left. Why didn't Kris just use her key? Why have Claudia announce her? His wife was puzzling him more and more these days.

"Hey," Kris greeted him sheepishly as she stood in the front entrance, almost like a stranger.

Her hands were in her pockets, and for a moment Junior felt like they had gone back in time to when they were first dating. He almost wanted to smile sheepishly like he would have back then. But Junior remembered the circumstances that caused them to stand on opposite sides of the doorway, and he stiffened himself.

"Hey? That's what you have to say to me?"

Kris nodded. "There's more."

"No kidding."

"Can we get out of here?" Kris asked, placing her hand on his arm.

"Fine," he said, and he followed her out to the driveway.

She pressed the alarm to his new Prius and got into the front seat.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Just trust me, okay?" she asked. "I know it's asking a lot, but please just get in the car."

Junior couldn't say no to her. Also, as his father had pointed out, this was no time to act like a petulant child. He reluctantly got into the passenger seat.

"If you plan to kill me, just know there's two witnesses and a surveillance video of me getting in the car," Junior told her sardonically.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Kris as they drove away from the house.

"That you've been acting like weird these last few weeks," he said in a cold tone. "I have no idea what's going on in your head."

Kris flinched. "I kind of deserved that."

"I'm sorry," Junior relented.

The rest of the drive was silent until Kris made a turn off the highway and onto a backroad. She stopped the car and got out. "We're here."

When Junior got out of the car, he realized that she had brought him to the overpass. It had been his sanctuary until he brought her here. This was their place to escape to when the world was too much. He followed her up the hill and sat beside her, looking at the winding highway between Davis Farms and Fremont.

Kris looked at him sincerely, and drew in a breath. "I want a do-over."

"Okay, I'm listening," Junior said after a brief pause.

Kris nodded and decided to begin. Suddenly, the story of the call from Jace came flooding out. She told him about the new sister, the wedding and the argument that followed. When it came to her family, her automatic response had been to avoid them. It was part of a past that she sometimes wished to forget altogether because she was so ashamed of it. They had hurt her so many times and so many ways, she wasn't sure if she had it in her to forgive them. It would also mean facing that she had also had some faults.

Junior sat there, unspeaking and unreadable as she relayed how she was angry at Jace, how Jace was angry at her, but he was still her brother and she hated fighting with him. It had become a secret eating away at her. She lost her focus during training, and it was part of what led to her accident with Montana. He found it painful to listen to that part of the story. The memory of hearing that Kris had been taken to the hospital was still too raw. Still, she continued.

"…All I could think was how everything I worked for had just vanished. I felt eighteen again – I was just learning how to ride and screwing up… I was angry at my family… and I was still trying to figure us out…" Kris admitted, and she started tearing up. "I felt so lost."

"Kris," Junior said and put his arm around her, kissing the top of her head.

"After I left the hospital, I got a call from the doctor's office," Kris said. "My blood tests had come back, and they had found something unusual…"

"Your hormone levels?" he asked.

"Flame won't be our only baby anymore," Kris said and smiled. He pulled her closer to him. "I can hardly believe it."

Junior looked down at her, and started grinning. The moment felt so perfect to receive good news like this. He kissed her.

Kris felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. They were good again. "I should've just been honest with you, and myself, from the beginning. But once it all started, I didn't know how to undo it. I thought if I went back to Raintree, everything would get better like when we were younger."

Junior held her close. "It wasn't just you. We both lost sight of things. I was so caught up with work, and I didn't see what was happening with you. Some days, I think we got married but we didn't realize what that meant."

Kris nodded and hugged him closer.

"We thought that we had a system that let us pursue what we wanted in spite of being married. But it's not working anymore. Now it's time to finally settle down. Not that we have any choice in the matter," Junior told her and smiled into her hair.

"The do-over isn't done yet." Kris stood up, and helped Junior to his feet.

"What else could there be?"

"You'll have to get in the car to find out," said Kris as she got into the car.

Junior shook his head and got in the passenger seat. "Remember – there is a video of me getting into this car."

Kris playfully smacked him in the shoulder and started the engine. "That was for trading in the Porsche for the Prius by the way."

"What's going to happen when we have to trade this in for a minivan?"

Kris laughed as she drove. "We are not getting a minivan."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," said Junior. "You refused to even get in this car three months ago, now look at you."

"I'm driving it because we don't have another car," Kris told him.

"Wait a minute," said Junior. "I remember the first time I got you in here and convinced you to test out the back seat…"

Kris cringed. "Don't remind me."

"But you're three months along, so maybe–"

"No. That's not even a possibility."

Junior grinned. "Nope, sorry, it's official. This car is forever part of the family."

"No, it's not. If the Porsche didn't get to stay, this doesn't either."

Junior was about to playfully argue with her again when he noticed that they had driven through the front gate of the McKinnon ranch. "Whoa there, we're not supposed to be here. Don't you remember that Arthur McKinnon would throw a fit if you even drove past the place?"

"You mean when _you_ drove past the place," Kris corrected him as she continued driving up to the house.

"You know I made all those jokes I made about you killing me, but I just want to reconfirm that those were in fact jokes," said Junior. "Seriously, what are we doing here? Old Artie has been trying to get a clean shot at me since I learned to drive."

"Why? Were you bringing his daughter home past curfew?" Kris teased.

"I don't remember. Something about a sheep I nearly hit or something. Old Artie never had any kids," Junior said. "Lots of sheep though."

Finally, Kris stopped in front of the house and turned off the car. "That explains a few things."

"Kris, what are we doing here?"

"You'll have to follow me to find out," Kris said and she got out of the car.

Junior sighed and followed her. She stopped short at the front door of the ranch.

"Where are you going?"

"Just like us, Mr. McKinnon has reached a turning point in his life. He's set to retire in Florida in a few months," Kris told him. "He didn't want to see his ranch turned into a bunch of housing complexes and a strip mall, so he's had a hard time finding a seller. But I managed to get Jean to put in a good word for us, in spite of the fact that your father is Ken Davis."

Junior chuckled. Then he realized what she was saying… "You bought the McKinnon Ranch?!"

"I know, I should've talked to you before I went out and did it," Kris began. "But it's everything we said that we wanted, and figured that we've put off getting our own place for too long."

"Kris, as long as it's the two of us, it'll always be home," Junior told her, putting his arm around her.

"Plus, we're at a great intersection. We have the park to our north, Davis and Raintree both border the property," she informed him. "Who could say no to that?"

"You don't say," Junior laughed. "It's perfect."

"Cutting across the McKinnon property is actually the shortest distance between Raintree and Davis," Kris said. "We'll never have to go far to find our way home."

Junior nodded. "You know, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line? So next time, just be straight with me. It's the quickest way back to happily ever after."

* * *

 **A/N:** Listening to "Lego House" by Ed Sheeran. And that's all folks! I want to say thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing. I hope that you enjoyed this little story as much as I did.


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